GSM Surround TS6.0 Tube Headphone System

Picture this. The 1980s. Oliver Newton-John in headband, gold lamé bodysuit and leg warmers. Crawling across the floor, crooning "let's get animal, animal" in her music vid, Let's Get Physical. Now picture the TS6.0 headphone. Imagine donning it and getting all sweaty and animal. If you can get past looking (and feeling) dorky wearing the headband-looking TS6.0, it actually packs some pretty nifty technology. Six miniature speakers located at the front and rear of the headphone, as well as your ears, deliver audio that ping pong from every direction around your head--the way DTS and Dolby Surround encoded the sounds to be heard. Now you can get truly physical in 5.1 surround sound.

Click to see bigger image | the speakers

Price: 149.99€ (US$179)
Availability: TubeSurround
Device: Headset
Basic specs: N.A.

Octodog

This goes right up there with the Voodoo Knife Holder in terms of weird culinary aids that's a hoot to have in your kitchen. What's even more priceless is the look on your guests' faces when you whip out the Octodog, insert a hot dog, and voila, one tentacled hot dog for the BBQ pit or grill. Great fun, even for adults.

Click to see Octo hot dogs | how it's done

Via Designboom

Price: 199 kronos (US$25)
Availability: Check it out at the Swedish barndesign.se
Device: Frankfurter converter
Basic specs: N.A.

Self-playing digital audio book

It's taken long enough for someone to cobble the player and audio book together into one device. But better late than never, with FindawayWorld aiming to roll out Playaway--the first-ever self-playing digital audio book. No need to download anything or plonk the cassette or CD into an audio player. Like the instructions simply say, "just play". Hopefully, all that lovely convenience doesn't come at too high a price.

Click to see play buttons | size

Via gizmag

Price: N.A.
Availability: Year-end, check it out at Playaway.com
Device: Digital audio book
Basic specs: AAA battery inserted at base, universal headphone jack

BenQ Z2 MP3-phone

BenQ, hopefully through the acquisition of Siemens, may yet introduce its own-name phones here on our sunny little isle. For now, we can only admire from afar the newly launched Z2, the latest MP3-phone to join a growing heap of music-capable mobiles, some of which we caught at CommunicAsia2005. Interestingly, BenQ's chosen a shape less common, specifically a cube. We all know what happens to odd-shaped phones (think N-Gage and Xelibri). Hopefully, the Z2 has a longer shelf life as it sounds promising enough on paper. There's triband support, 58MB usable internal memory, miniSD memory card slot, a 1.5-inch, 128 x 128-pixel, 256,000-color LCD screen and built-in 1.3-megapixel camera. And, of course, there's MP3 playback with lyrics display, six equalizers, shuffle, ID3 V2 function, 3D surround sound and an FM tuner.

Click to see image: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Price: N.A.
Availability: BenQ
Device: MP3-phone
Basic specs: 3-5 hr talktime, 85-150 hr standby, five directional navigation keys, specially designed numeric buttons, changeable shells (front/back-- pearl white, mustard green, sapphire blue, to sparkling pink casing), Java, Repeat 1, Repeat All, and Shuffle, preset equalizer for Normal, Bass, Rock, Fashion, Jazz and Classic, voice recorder, point-to-point repeat playing function, 66 x 66 x 20mm, 106g

Residential Pneumatic Vacuum Elevators

The Jetsons have one. Furama Hotel in Chinatown has one. Now apparently so can you in your split-level home. We're talking bubble lifts, which Florida-based Daytona Elevators has developed for home users. The new vacuum elevator installs in just a few hours, thanks to a self-supporting, lightweight structure which doesn't require any cables, excavating pit or hacking. The catch? There's room for just one, and the elevator cab zips up and down using pressurization to ride on a cushion of air. The good news? Safety features are built in. Though if you're home alone, it's a good idea to set up a fixed line inside the elevator. Just so you don't spend the next few claustrophobic hours feeling like a test tube specimen while screaming for help.

Click to see bigger image

Price: N.A.
Availability: Daytona Elevators
Device: Home Elevator
Basic specs: 660lbs for two stops, 990lbs for 3 stops, lift capacity of 450lbs, halogen lighting inside cab, 24-volt electrical circuits, polycarbonate cylinder, safety pressure switch on free fall elevator brakes within 2 inches, alarm system in cabin, emergency ventilation

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